Diesel: Impossible
Diesel: Impossible 'is a model animated television series. It is a spin-off of Paxton and the Diesels and Thomas & Friends. It started airing in January 4, 2020 in the UK on Channel 5, as part of their Milkshake! children's programming block. Loosely based on the Thomas & Friends episode ''The Case of the Puzzling Parts from Series 22, Diesel: Impossible revolves around Paxton, Sidney and Thomas working as secret agents for the Anti-Devious Diesel Agency (A.D.D.A.), as they go on a number of missions, trying to stop the Steamie Extermination League (S.E.L.), an evil organisation led by Diesel 10 with his minions Diesel, Max, Monty and Troublesome the Truck whose goal is to get rid of all the steam engines on the Island of Sodor. The show's title is a parody of Mission: Impossible, an American spy TV and film series. The series is narrated by Pierce Brosnan, who also narrated the Thomas & Friends special The Great Discovery, and played James Bond in several films. Overview * Genre: Model animated series, action, spy fiction * Created by: David Stoten * Based on: Paxton and the Diesels, Thomas & Friends, The Railway Series * Written by: David Stoten * Voices of: Steven Kynman, Bob Golding, John Hasler (UK), Joseph May (US) and other voices * Narrated by: Pierce Brosnan (UK/US) * Theme music composer: Steve Everitt * Country of origin: United Kingdom * No. of seasons: 1 * No. of episodes: 8 (list of episodes) * Producer(s): Tracy Blagdon, Micaela Winter * Running time: 15 minutes (main running time), 12 minutes (Episode 1) * Production company: Mattel Television * Original network: (UK) Channel 5 (Milkshake!), Cartoonito, (US) Nick Jr. * Original release: 4 January 2020 – present Format The show's format is based on well known spy films and TV series like Mission: Impossible, James Bond and Get Smart. The show follows the exploits of the Anti-Devious Diesel Agency (A.D.D.A.), a small spy agency led by an unnamed character who goes by the secret identity as the Chief. The agency consists of three agents, Paxton, Sidney and Thomas working together as a team to stop Diesel 10 and his minions from steam engine extermination and other evil tasks they do. '''The Anti-Devious Diesel Agency (A.D.D.A.) A.D.D.A. is a spy agency led by the Chief. Paxton, Sidney and Thomas are sent out on each mission to stop the evil schemes of Diesel 10 and his minions. The Steamie Extermination League (S.E.L.) S.E.L. is an evil organisation led by Diesel 10, the arch nemesis of Paxton, Sidney and Thomas, and assisted by his minions, Diesel, Max, Monty and Troublesome. Their goal is to stop steam engines running on all of Sodor's railways, though Paxton, Sidney and Thomas are always on hand to stop them for good. Characters Main characters (A.D.D.A. agents) * Paxton - A young green diesel shunter. Whatever he is doing, Paxton always wants to show Sidney and the Chief of A.D.D.A. how well he does as a top quality agent, and to stop Diesel 10 with his nasty schemes. * Sidney - A forgetful blue diesel shunter. Like Paxton and Thomas, Sidney is willing to be great at solving problems as an agent, but whatever he does, he always forgets most of the time. * Thomas - The number one blue tank engine. Thomas is ready for action and adventure with his super-cool secret agent design. Thomas is the only A.D.D.A. agent who's a steam engine. It is shown a couple of times in episodes that Thomas is too frightened to enter Diesel 10's Lair, as he might exterminate him. * The Chief - The unseen leader of the Anti-Devious Diesel Agency (A.D.D.A.). He always makes sure that whatever happens, his agents, Paxton, Sidney and Thomas always get the jobs done. As he is unseen, his voice can be heard through the A.D.D.A. HQ's tannoy system. His character is based on M, a character from James Bond. * Den - A big diesel-hydraulic shunter. Along with his assistant, Dart, they work as inventors for A.D.D.A., working hard in the Gadget Factory, inventing lots of gadgets for Paxton, Sidney and Thomas to use on their missions. He and Dart also occasionally tag along with Paxton, Sidney and Thomas on missions. He and Dart also wear white glasses, which according to them, they prevent themselves getting hurt whenever they're inventing dangerous gadgets. * Dart - A small diesel shunter who is Den's assistant and best friends. He works alongside Den in the Gadget Factory. He also tags along on missions with Den and the other agents. Antagonists (S.E.L. agents) * Diesel 10 - An evil diesel. He is the leader of the Steamie Extermination League (S.E.L.). * Diesel - One of Diesel 10's minions. *Max and Monty - Two reckless dumper trucks from the Sodor Construction Company who are also one of Diesel 10's minions. Whenever they talk to Diesel 10 and his other minions, they always address them as Guvnor. * Troublesome - A troublesome truck who is also part of the S.E.L. Other characters ' * Lady - A magical engine who keeps the magic of the Island of Sodor alive. She lives in a large tree, and was kidnapped by Diesel 10 and the other S.E.L. agents, but it's up to Paxton, Sidney and Thomas to save before her extermination. * Norman - A red-orange diesel who is friends with Paxton, Sidney and Thomas. He took part in the rebuilding of the destroyed Great Sodor Wall, in the episode A View to a Wall. * Kelly - A blue mobile crane who is owned by the Sodor Construction Company. He made a few cameos in the episode ''A View to a Wall, and he was one of the vehicles who took part in the rebuilding of the partly destroyed Great Sodor Wall. He doesn't speak in the episode. * Kevin - A clumsy yellow crane from the Sodor Steamworks. He also took part in the rebuilding of the Great Sodor Wall in A View to a Wall. He also made cameos and didn't speak in the episode. * Pip and Emma - Pip (short for Philippa) and Emma are two British Rail Class 43 High Speed Train (HST) power cars. They were used by Paxton and Sidney as Driving Van Trailers (DVTs) as part of a training mission in the episode You Only Move Backwards. * Emily - An emerald green steam engine who is part of the Steam Team. She was caught by Diesel 10 in the episode From Sodor with Love, but Paxton, along with Sidney and Den saved her. * Lorenzo - An Italian tender engine. He appeared in the episode The Italian Diesel Job, where Paxton, Sidney and Thomas go back in time to 1952 in Verona, Italy, where Diesel 10 and his minions steal an engine version of the Mona Lisa painting. * Beppe - Lorenzo's coach. * The Mayor of Verona - An elected politician who is accounted for the government of Verona. The agents helped him on their mission. Some other characters like Dennis, Salty and Philip are likely to appear. Locations There are many different locations in Diesel: Impossible. The following sections show locations that feature in the show. '''A.D.D.A. Headquarters The HQ is the prime base of operations for A.D.D.A. The agents have their missions briefed here. The room has a table in the middle, with chairs alongside it. There are two loudspeakers on the top of the room's main wall, which is used for the Chief to communicate through, as well as A.D.D.A.'s logo. Gadget Factory The Gadget Factory is a factory located adjacent to the main HQ room. Hence the name, different sorts of gadgets for the agents to use on different missions are made here, and it is run by Den and Dart. In the episode From Sodor with Love, it is shown that it houses an on-site fuel depot that Den, Dart and the other agents use. Diesel 10's Lair ' Diesel 10's Lair is the prime base of operations for the S.E.L. It is a black upside down basket-shaped building with lots of holes. There is a sign on the front saying ''Diesel 10's Lair: Steamie Extermination League (S.E.L.). It first made a cameo appearance in the first episode, The Beginning, and later in the second episode, The Engine with the Golden Colours. '''The Top Secret Track There is a track outside the A.D.D.A. HQ and the Gadget Factory. Hence the name, it is top secret. Only A.D.D.A. agents are allowed to use the track, but other engines (non-A.D.D.A. agents) only use it with special permission. The track starts just adjacent to the Gadget Factory, passes the HQ, then comes round a tight curve until it becomes straight again and suddenly comes to an end at various locations, depending on what mission Paxton, Sidney and Thomas are on. It has appeared in every episode starting from The Engine with the Colours, though it didn't appear in Jungle Royale, as Paxton, Sidney and Thomas traveled through a time portal back to 1947 in an African jungle. Lady's Tree In the episode The Engine with the Golden Colours, Paxton, Sidney and Thomas found a very large tree at the end of the top secret track. It was found out that Lady owns it, and Paxton thinks that Diesel 10 came to the tree while Lady wasn't looking, and took her to his lair until Paxton saved her from extermination, fought Diesel 10 and took her back to the tree. It is probably located somewhere on the Magic Railroad, probably near Muffle Mountain. The Great Sodor Wall The Great Sodor Wall is a very old wall. It is quite big, but not very long. Diesel 10 destroyed half of the wall, and Paxton, Sidney, Thomas, Den and Dart were sent to rebuild it and stop Diesel 10 and his minions, Troublesome, Max and Monty. Norman also helped them. The Jungle In the episode Jungle Royale, Paxton, Sidney and Thomas traveled back in time to 1947, where Diesel 10 has planned to exterminate Thomas. It is located somewhere in Africa, and has a few palm trees. It is unknown on what animals live there, but there are bird sounds heard in the background. The A.D.D.A. Training Camp The A.D.D.A. Training Camp is an area where agents get trained. In You Only Move Backwards, Paxton, Sidney, Thomas, Den, Dart, Pip and Emma went there on a training mission which involved having Pip and Emma coupled on to the backs of Paxton and Sidney respectively. It is also shown that Den and Dart run the camp. Verona A city in Italy. The agents went back in time there in 1952, when they met Lorenzo and Beppe, and helped the mayor of the city, after Diesel 10 and his minions stole an engine version of the Mona Lisa. Lorenzo and Beppe are from here. Gadgets and other equipment In the series, many gadgets feature that are made by Den and Dart at the Gadget Factory next to the A.D.D.A. HQ. This is a list of gadgets that have featured in the show so far. * The laser gun - The laser gun first appeared in the episode The Engine with the Golden Colours. It was used by Paxton to defeat Diesel 10 from kidnapping Lady. It was used again in the episode Diesely. * The drill - The drill first appeared in the episode A View to a Wall, though it wasn't used because it got stuck underneath the Gadget Factory's conveyor belt. * The hammer - The hammer also first appeared in A View to a Wall, though it was used by Paxton, Sidney, Den and Dart on their mission. * The umbrella gun - A gadget used in Jungle Royale that was used to stop Diesel 10 from exterminating Thomas. * The brief case - In Jungle Royale, a brief case was given to Paxton, Sidney and Thomas by Den and Dart. It contains different gadgets inside and even has a special tracking device that tracks down all of Diesel 10's schemes. * The A.D.D.A. truck - A truck is used by Paxton, Sidney and Thomas on missions. It is kept at the Gadget Factory, and is used to transport different gadgets. The truck's basis is unknown, so it is probably of a freelance design. It was found out in the end of Jungle Royale by Den and Dart that Paxton, Sidney and Thomas forgot to use the truck on their mission. * The time portal - Paxton, Sidney and Thomas use a time portal on missions that involve going to past years and decades. It was used in the episode Jungle Royale so they could go back in time to 1947 in an African jungle. It was also used again in The Italian Diesel Job, where the agents went back in time to 1952 in Verona. It is arch-shaped on the outside. * The poison pen - A gadget used by the agents in From Sodor with Love to poison Diesel 10. * The walkie-talkie - A gadget introduced in The Italian Diesel Job. Its purpose is for the agents to communicate to the Chief whilst out on missions. They took it with them in the episode, despite not using it. Episodes Main article: List of Diesel: Impossible episodes Cast * Pierce Brosnan as the Narrator (UK/US) * Steven Kynman as Paxton and Dart (UK/US) * Bob Golding as Sidney (UK/US) * John Hasler as Thomas (UK) * Joseph May as Thomas (US) * Keith Wickham as Den, the Chief and Norman (UK/US) * Matt Wilkinson as Diesel 10 (UK/US) * Kerry Shale as Diesel (UK/US) and Max (US) * Tim Whitnall as Max (UK) * Rasmus Hardiker as Monty (UK), and Troublesome the Truck (UK/US) * Rob Rackstraw as Monty (US) * Britt Allcroft as Lady * Teresa Gallagher as Pip, Emma (UK) and Emily (UK) * Jules de Jongh as Emily (US) Trivia * Diesel: Impossible is the first show in the Paxton franchise since Paxton's Pops to air on Channel 5's Milkshake! and Cartoonito in the UK, and Nick Jr. in the US. Paxton's Pops however, only aired on Sodor, on Sudrian Television. * Diesel: Impossible was foreshadowed on the Paxton's Pops Christmas and New Year specials in 2019, in which Thomas, in his secret agent form, alongside Diesel 10, Diesel, Max, Monty and Troublesome threaten to destroy the studio set. * As well as the Thomas & Friends episode The Case of the Puzzling Parts, Diesel: Impossible is also probably inspired by the fact that in 2013 in real life, an East Coast Class 91 electric locomotive numbered 91107 (originally numbered 91007) was given a promotional livery for the UK DVD and Blu-ray releases of the 2012 James Bond film Skyfall. As part of it, it was renumbered back to 91007. The locomotive was then repainted into Virgin Trains East Coast livery, but it was renumbered back to 91107 though it kept its Skyfall nameplates. It possibly goes to another fact that a Virgin Trains Class 90 electric locomotive numbered 90002 was named Mission: Impossible. It was the first locomotive to be painted in Virgin's old red and black livery. See also * Paxton and the Diesels * Paxton's Pops - Another spin-off of Paxton and the Diesels. * List of Thomas & Friends spin-offs Category:Thomas & Friends spin-offs